Charleroi police officer taken off schedule during investigation of girlfriend

A part-time officer has been taken off the Charleroi Regional Police Department's schedule, pending the outcome of an investigation of a girlfriend who was found inside his personal car with possible drug paraphernalia, as well as his badge and personal gun, the chief said.

"I had a drug problem in the past, but he's been trying to help me. That's what you do whenever you love somebody. You try to help them," Jenn Crabb said. "But he has nothing to do with this. This is my mistake. I want to apologize to the police department for any disrespect and for the mistake I've made."

Officers approached the parked car in the 500 block of Fallowfield Avenue after seeing what they what they thought was suspicious behavior by Crabb and another woman in the vehicle at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Police Chief Mike Matyas said.

No drugs or needles were found in the car, Matyas said. A syringe was found on the street outside the vehicle, but he said the women denied that it belonged to them. Inside the car, officers saw bottle caps and cotton balls -- which police say can be used by people preparing heroin for use -- and there were some syringe caps inside one woman's purse, Matyas said.

Crabb described the situation this way: "We were sitting there. The cops pulled up. They got out because they saw the passenger in the car had some pill bottles which contained a non-narcotic pill, and Prilosec, which is for heartburn. No big deal. They took us out of the car. They found some paraphernalia on her, and I as well, but there was no needles, no heroin found in the vehicle, nothing like that. As for the gun, I had no recollection it was in there. The badge -- it's his car, he's a police officer. I use this car to go to work. He had no knowledge what I did after that."

Matyas said the officer who owns the car is an excellent officer who also works part-time for the Monongahela Police Department, and there have never been any problems with him. He said the officer knew nothing about the police activity involving his girlfriend, and they see no reason for any charges against him at this point.

Crabb has been charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. The other woman in the vehicle, identified as Sheila Urwin, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Matyas said the case is not being handled any differently than it would be if anyone else was involved.

"I don't look for kind of, like, you know, power because I dated a police officer," Crabb said. "I mean, I take what I get. I own up to my mistakes. No one covered up anything. It is what it is. We were in handcuffs, everything like that. They did what they had to do. That's their job."

On Wednesday night, reporter Kelly Brennan tried to talk to Mayor Nancy Ellis about the situation. At that time, Ellis walked away and said, "There's no news out of Charleroi tonight."

On Thursday, Ellis said, "I want to assure the citizens that we will do what is necessary to make sure that there is a fair investigation -- a thorough and complete investigation."

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